


I Wasn't Expecting That

by natashasbanner



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Getting Together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2017-03-11
Packaged: 2018-10-02 18:25:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10224323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashasbanner/pseuds/natashasbanner
Summary: Patty wasn't looking for love, but Holtzmann makes herself at home in her heart.or how Patty and Holtz come to be.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Just fluff and snippets of the progression of Patty and Holtzmann's relationship after the movie.

Holtzmann was...something. Patty couldn’t think of a single word to describe the engineer. Eccentric probably fit the most, but even that seemed lacking when applied to the woman herself. There was so much more to Holtzy than the over the top antics and seemingly careless handling of extremely volatile equipment and Patty was still trying to figure her out. 

She watched Holtzmann across the lab. She had Abby’s old radio sitting at the end of her table, blaring her favorite 80’s mixtape while she tinkered away, assembling the random assortment of wires and metal into their newest ghostbusting gadget. Patty chuckled quietly to herself when Holtzmann went from intense focus to using her soldering iron and a stray screw driver to play air drums and then going back to building in the span of fifteen seconds. She did that a lot, random dance breaks, that and sudden very loud outbursts of screaming the lyrics. 

Patty went back to her own research with a quiet laugh. She could spend all day watching Holtzy in her element if she let herself, but there was work to be done. She got halfway through her marked page before she noticed that the music wasn’t playing anymore and the room was completely silent. 

Patty looked over to Holtzmann’s corner of the room to see if everything was alright. She found Holtz studying her with her head tilted to one side like Patty was a puzzle she was trying to figure out. She waited for Holtzmann to say something or go back to her project but when it was clear she wasn’t going to say anything, Patty spoke up. 

“What’s on your mind, baby?” she asked. 

Holtzmann blinked a few times and tilted her head back before she answered. 

“You,” she stated matter-of-factly. 

“Any particular reason?” Patty asked, a little surprised by her answer. 

Holtzmann frowned and shook her head. “It won’t stop,” she answered squinting her eyes and tilting her head to the side again.

“What won’t stop?” Patty asked, trying to understand Holtzy’s thought process but it was a losing battle. 

“You,” she pointed at Patty, “up here,” she tapped her temple a few times and shook her head.

Patty smiled softly at Holtzmann. “Is that a bad thing?” she asked, a hopeful edge to her voice. 

Holtzmann shrugged one shoulder and looked back down at her partially built weapon. “Haven’t decided yet. It’s very distracting.” 

She reached over without looking and hit play on the boombox and went back to working like nothing happened. 

Patty watched her for a few more minutes with a smile on her face and butterflies in her stomach. 

* * *

“I made you something,” Holtzmann announced suddenly. 

Patty barely had time to look up from her book before Holtzmann dropped a heavy, metal contraption on her desk in front of her. It looked like the ghost chipper that had been smashed in Times Square, but it was bigger and had a lot more buttons and switches. Patty slid her chair back a few inches just to be safe. 

“What is that?” She questioned, eyeing the machine cautiously. 

“Ghost Chipper 2.0, bigger and better than before,” she said and perched herself on the edge of Patty’s desk. “No ghost is gonna smash this baby. Wanna give it a test drive?” 

“Not really,” Patty said, looking up at Holtzmann who was grinning widely. 

Holtzmann shrugged. “You’re loss. I’ll leave it with your pack for our next bust.”

She hopped off of Patty’s desk and picked up the ghost chipper. She skipped over to the stairs and Patty listened to the sound of her boots hitting each step on her way to no doubt store the new chipper in her locker.

There was no way Patty was going to use it until she was sure that it wasn’t going to explode in her hands, but Patty appreciated the gesture nonetheless. It was sweet in a weird and potentially dangerous way and so very Holtzmann. It made Patty smile. 

Holtzmann came back up the stairs a few minutes later and walked up to Patty’s desk again instead of going to her own corner. 

“Is there something I can help you with?” Patty asked. Holtzmann was staring at her intently and had her hands behind her back. 

“I also got you this,” she said and set a coffee cup from one of Patty’s favorite cafes in front of her. “You said you didn’t have time to stop this morning.” 

“I did.” Patty confirmed, surprised that Holtzmann had been paying attention to her early morning grumblings.

She picked up the up to take a tentative sip of the steaming drink. She hummed, delighted when she tasted her favorite french vanilla blend with the perfect amount of cream and sugar and just a hint of blueberry flavor. Just how she liked it. 

She could feel Holtzmann watching her closely as she bounced on the balls of her feet. 

Patty smiled. “I needed this. Thank you, baby,” she said and reached out to lightly pat Holtzy’s forearm. 

Holtzmann let out a short breath and visibly relaxed. She smirked and winked at Patty. 

“Excellent.” she muttered to herself and shuffled over to her work table. 

“Why’d you go get this?” Patty asked, spinning her chair around to face Holtzmann.

Holtzmann shrugged and didn’t look in Patty’s direction. “I felt like it.” 

“You the best, Holtzy,” Patty said and spun her chair back around, though not before she caught a glimpse of the light blush on Holtzmann’s cheeks and the tiny smile on her lips. 

Patty took another sip of her coffee and grinned as music started playing from the radio. 

* * *

Patty walked up to the second floor of the firehouse, coffee cup in one hand and a stack of new books tucked under her arm. She headed for her desk, but stopped short when she saw that everything on her desk was gone.

“What the hell?” She muttered to herself hurrying over to check the drawers. 

Her heart rate slowed when she saw that nothing inside had been touched, but that still left everything else missing. 

“Surprise!” 

Patty turned around to see Holtzmann standing behind her work table smiling widely at her. It took Patty a moment to realize that the table that had been sitting against the wall had been cleared off and pulled over beside hers and had everything from Patty’s desk arranged on top. 

Confused, Patty walked over to the table and set her coffee and books down to raise an eyebrow. 

“What’s going on over here, Holtzy?” She asked trying to think of a good reason for Holtzmann to have moved all her stuff, but came up empty. 

“Testing a hypothesis,” Holtzmann said as if that would explain everything. 

“And?” 

“If you’re here,” she pointed to the stool next to her, “then I won’t have to keep looking over there. Less distractions, more work.” 

Patty couldn’t help but smile at Holtzy. If she thought moving Patty closer was going to cut down on distractions she was going to be sorely disappointed come the end of the day. But Patty wasn’t going to tell her that. 

“Okay,” 

* * *

“Holtzmann, what are you doing?” Patty asked when she found Holtz laying on the floor outside of the rec room. The door was closed and Patty could hear muffled voices coming from inside.

Holtzmann rolled over onto her back and smiled up at Patty. “Nothing,” she said, trying and failing to look innocent. 

“Are you spying on Abby and Erin?” Patty asked, placing her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow. 

“No?” 

Patty sighed and rolled her eyes. “Leave them alone.” 

Holtzmann pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. “How will I know if they get back together or not?” 

“If and when they choose to tell us,” Patty answered as if it were obvious before she realized to Holtzmann it might not be. “Let’s go.” 

She held her hand out to help Holtzmann up and she took it grudgingly. 

“Where are we going?” Holtzmann asked as Patty lead her down the stairs and stopped next to their lockers. She opened Holtzy’s and handed her her coat. 

“For a walk,” Patty said and shrugged on her own jacket. 

Holtzmann tilted her head. “Why?” 

“Because we’re not doing anything else and I’m afraid you’re gonna ruin Abby and Erin’s date if I don’t get you out of the building.” 

“Does watching a movie in your place of work make for a good date? Does it even count?” Holtz questioned. 

Patty furrowed her brows as she held the door open for Holtzmann and followed her out of the firehouse, trying to figure out how best to explain it.

“Anything can count as a date,” she settled on. “Whether it’s good or not depends on who you’re with.” 

“Ah,” Holtzmann nodded and her face scrunched up in the way it did when she was working through a difficult problem with her machines. Patty thought it was adorable then and it was no different now. 

They walked in comfortable silence for a little while, Patty paying close attention to Holtzmann.  She stuck close to Patty’s side while her gaze bounced from the surrounding buildings to the people they passed and occasionally to Patty herself. Those looks never lasted longer than a second but they didn’t go unnoticed. 

Holtzmann spoke again as they rounded the corner of the street their favorite pizza place was on. 

“Is this a date?” she asked, looking over at Patty. 

“Uh, n-no,” Patty stuttered out, her eyes growing wide.

Holtzmann frowned and looked down at her feet. “Oh,” was all she said, sounding disappointed. 

Patty stopped Holtzmann with a hand on her shoulder. She met her gaze for a moment before focusing on something behind her head. She did that sometimes and Patty had learned just to roll with it. 

“I never said it was out of the question,” Patty told her with a small smile. “Do you wanna go on a date with me?” she asked. 

Holtzmann looked her in the eye again and smirked. “Patty Tolan, are you asking me out?” she asked in a voice with a slight southern lilt. 

Patty smiled wider and nodded. “I am. What do you say?” 

“Can I pick where we go?” 

“I don’t see why not.” Patty said and Holtzmann pumped her fists in the air and did a little dance. 

“But nothing too dangerous, please.” 

Holtzmann gave her a two fingered salute and looped her arm through Patty’s as they started down the street again. “You won’t be disappointed.” 

“With you?” Patty said, grinning over at Holtz. “Never.” 

* * *

“That was fun,” Patty said as they left the building. They’d spent the night playing arcade games, laser tag, and racing go karts. They’d even tried their hand at the batting cages, even though neither one of them were very good at it.

“I know how to show a lady a good time,” Holtz said smugly. 

Patty couldn’t argue with that. She hadn’t had that much fun on a date in a long time. At first it seemed a little childish, but she was glad she let Holtzmann pick their first date. 

“You wanna go get some real food, I’m starving,” Patty asked. The snacks from the vending machines weren’t cutting it. 

“I could eat,” Holtz said, bumping her arm into Patty’s. 

“There’s a deli around here, it ain’t as good as our usual spot, but it will do,” Patty said. 

“Lead the way,” Holtz said.

They stopped in the deli quickly and continued down the sidewalk to Patty’s apartment. Too soon they reached the steps of her building and Holtz let out a long sigh. 

“Welp here we are,” she said scuffing her boot against the concrete. She looked disappointed. 

“Yep,” Patty said, her keys hanging from her fingers. 

Holtz shuffled from foot to foot for a minute before she took a deep breath and looked up at Patty. 

“Can I kiss you?,” Holtz asked hopefully. 

Patty grinned and nodded. “Go for it, baby,” she said. 

Holtz got up tiptoes and pulled Patty down a little to kiss her lips softly. Patty sighed against Holtz’s lips that were slightly chapped and tasted like the blue slushie she’d downed at the arcade. 

Patty was breathless when they parted and held Holtz close. 

“Wanna come upstairs?” she asked in a whisper. 

Holtz snorted and looked at Patty over the frame of her glasses. “That’s very forward of you, Patricia.” 

Patty chuckled softly but raised her eyebrow. “Is that a yes?” 

“Lead the way,” Holtz said and winked. 

* * *

“Orange soda or grape soda?” Holtzmann asked.

They were laying side by side on the floor in Patty’s living room. The lights were off and Holtzmann brought over one of those things that projected stars on the walls and ceiling. It was pretty and soothing and Patty couldn’t think of a better way to spend her Saturday night. 

“Grape,” Patty answered without missing a beat. “Rain or snow?” 

“Snow,” was Holtzmann’s answer. “Um, mermaid or witch?” 

“Can I say unicorn?” 

Holtzmann shook her head. “No, pick one.” 

“Fine, witch,” Patty said. 

“What do you have against mermaids?” 

“Nothing,” Patty shrugged. “Magic over swimming forever, any day.” 

“Fair enough,” Holtzmann conceded and nudged Patty with her elbow. “Your turn.” 

“Peppermint or cinnamon?” 

“Cinnamon!” Holtzmann exclaimed. “I’ve got a good one.” 

She rolled onto her side and rose up to drape herself over Patty so that her face was hovering slightly above Patty’s. Her smile was infectious and Patty raised an eyebrow at her. 

“You planning on asking anytime soon, cause I got no problem taking your turn,” she told her only half kidding. 

“Okay,” she bent down a pressed a long kiss to Patty’s cheek. “Cheek kisses,” she said and moved a little higher up to kiss the tip of Patty’s nose. “Or nose kisses?” 

Patty chuckled at the shit eating grin on Holtzmann’s face. She was clearly pleased with herself and Patty had to hand it to her, that little trick was very clever of her. 

“I don’t know,” she said, a smirk on her lips. “What are my options again?” 

Holtzmann swung her leg over Patty’s hips to straddle her. She bent down, her hands on either side of Patty’s head, until their lips were almost touching. 

“How about we play a different game?” she asked, tilting her head a little.

“I like the way you think,” Patty said and grabbed the front of Holtzmann’s shirt to pull her down and close the distance between their lips. 

* * *

Patty felt Holtzmann before she saw her. Two small hands wrapped around her waist and she felt Holtz’s forehead press into her back.

“Good morning, baby,” Patty said softly, taking a sip from her coffee mug. 

“Too early,” Holtz grumbled, holding Patty’s waist tighter. 

Patty chuckled. “You didn’t have to get up,” she said. In the time that they’d known each other, Patty couldn’t remember seeing Holtz out of her room before noon, but Patty was an early riser. 

“You were gone,” Holtz said, and yawned. 

“I’m just getting some coffee,” Patty told her, patting one of Holtz’s hand. “You want some?” 

“Please,” Holtz said and let go of Patty’s waist to slide onto the counter beside her. 

Patty poured Holtz her own mug and watched her add a ridiculous amount of cream and sugar. She took a sip and leaned her head against the cabinet behind her. 

They sipped their coffee in silence for a few minutes, sneaking glances over their mugs. 

“Am I your girlfriend?” Holtz asked suddenly. 

Patty almost choked on her coffee, and looked up at Holtzmann thoughtfully. 

“Do you want to be my girlfriend?” Patty asked, unsure where Holtz was going with that question. They’d gone on several dates and were sleeping together, but didn’t necessarily mean they were girlfriends. Even if Patty had been referring to Holtz as her girlfriend in her head for quite awhile. 

“Yes,” Holtz answered without hesitation. 

“Okay then,” Patty said with a nod of finality. She couldn’t help but smile as she took another sip of coffee. 

“Huh,” Holtz sighed and looked at Patty with a frown. 

“What’s that look for?” Patty asked, poking Holtz’s leg. 

“I thought that would be more dramatic,” she answered with a shrug. 

Patty smirked and set down her mug. Without warning she grabbed Holtzmann by the hips and pulled until their bodies were flush against each other. 

Holtz’s eyes widened and she set down her own coffee mug to wrap her arms around Patty’s neck and her legs around her waist. Patty lifted Holtzmann from the counter and started walking back toward the bedroom. 

She dropped Holtz back on her bed and settled between her legs, hovering over her with a smirk. 

“Holtzy, you wanna go steady?” she asked with as much emotion as she could without laughing at herself. 

Holtz bit her bottom lip and snickered but looked at her seriously. “I thought you’d never ask.” 

Patty laughed and ducked down to kiss her soundly. 

“Was that dramatic enough for you?” Patty asked when they parted. 

“Perfect,” Holtz said and pulled Patty back down for another kiss. 

* * *

Patty sat on her couch, book in her lap and a steaming cup of tea on the coffee table. It was early in the morning and the firehouse was just beginning to hum with activity. Abby and Erin had arrived a short while ago and their muffled conversation drifted up the stairs. Kevin stumbled in not long after them and nodded at Patty on his way to the kitchen.

Footsteps thumping down the stairs drew Patty’s attention and she looked over to see Holtz slowly making her way down. Her hair was still rumpled from sleep and she still wore the pajama pants she slept in the night before and Patty found her adorable. 

“Good morning, baby,” Patty said as Holtzmann shuffled over to her work bench and plopped down on her stool. 

She grunted something unintelligible and picked up a pair of wire strippers. Patty watched her lazily work on the wires, her eyelids drooping and smiled wondering how she got here. 

The chain of events that led to Patty meeting and subsequently joining the Ghostbusters were clear; falling in love with their resident mad engineer was not something she’d expected. Holtz had wormed her way into Patty’s heart and made herself at home, not that Patty was complaining. Her life had taken an unexpected and unconventional turn but she was happy, really happy, and Holtzy was partially responsible for that. 

“Hey Patty?”

Holtzmann’s voice pulled her from her thoughts and she looked over at the workbench. 

“Yeah?” She asked. Holtzmann looked more awake now, her eyes a little more focused behind her yellow lenses. 

“Can I tell you something?” Holtz asked, looking back down at her bundle of wires. 

“Yeah, anything,” Patty told her. “What’s on your mind?” 

Holtz was quiet for several moments before she sucked in a quick breath and looked over at Patty. 

“I just wanted you to know that I, uh, I love you,” she said, her words coming out monotone, like the speech she’d made in the bar after they’d saved the city. 

Patty heart fluttered in her chest and a smile tugged at her lips. 

“I love you too, baby,” Patty said without hesitation. She set her book aside and stood from her couch to walk over to Holtz’s table. 

“You do?” Holtz asked, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. Her cheeks were red and she looked back down at her wires as Patty got closer. 

“More than I expected,” Patty told her honestly. 

Holtz looked up and smirked. “Because I’m irresistible?” 

Patty laughed and reached out to brush the curls that had fallen into Holtz’s face back. 

“You’re definitely something,” Patty said. 

Holtz grinned and stood to kneel on her stool and lean over her table. She pressed her forehead against Patty’s and sighed. 

“But I’m your something,” she said softly.

“As long you’ll have me,” Patty said and tipped her head to kiss Holtz softly. 

Holtz pulled away and sat back down on her stool. 

“Wait ‘til you see what I’m cooking up over here Pats,” she said, excitedly stripping more wires. 

Patty shook her head. “What you makin’ now,” 

“It’s a surprise,” Holtz said and covered the jumble of wires and pieces of metal with her hands. 

“I’ll be over here,” Patty said and went back to her book and tea. 

Patty sat and watched Holtz work with her usual enthusiasm now that she was awake. She reached over and hit play on the radio and the sounds of her usual playlist blared across the second floor. Patty laughed when Holtz hopped out of her stool to strum some untangled wires like a guitar. 

Falling for the wild engineer wasn’t something she expected, but now that she was, Patty wouldn’t take any of it back for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading :) You can find me on Tumblr at natashasbanner :)


End file.
